Being the Church

Yesterday morning, my Sunday School class was discussing this question: How do we be a church family and love each other? 

I've been thinking about it since, and believe the first response is introspective.

1. Ask yourself: Am I reaching out to others? Do I speak to those who are hurting, or do I try to avoid them because I don't know what to say, or wonder if they need their space, or … whatever.

So, maybe the first step is simply to reach out. Despite what we feel is our own ineptitude, we just need to reach out. Let the other person know that they are seen, loved, thought about and prayed for.

The Jump

Sometimes in my relationship with God, I have felt like an outside observer to my own life, watching God move and work in ways that I can only describe as “all Him.”

I’ve been astonished, time and time again, at how God can use a somewhat socially-awkward misfit and textbook introvert in His plans. I have been a guest speaker … more than once. To those who know me well, this should raise a huge, “WHAT?” To which I would answer, “I KNOW!” Who would believe it? Certainly not me. Not about me. But when I consider God, His incredible power, His joy in using the people He loves in unbelievable ways, and honestly His sense of humor, then it is not surprising at all.

The Yoke

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” Matthew 11:28-30

As I was reading this passage in Matthew, I was struck by the incredible contrast between the first and second sentences. In the first, Jesus is offering an invitation. He invites all who are weary, all who are tired of the evil in the world, jaded by the lack of empathy, shattered by the mass killings of children by children, overburdened, dissatisfied—done. To these people, Jesus issues a summons and a promise: “Come to me … and I will give you rest.”

Fear Not

I have had a problem with fear most of my life.

Oh sometimes I can be fierce. Sometimes I’m the first to jump off the high dive. Or chase my little brother’s bullies down the street.

But other times the fears of life seem overpowering, lurking in every shadow, causing me to question every decision, every move, until I am afraid to make a choice, or move a step—even a tiny millimeter—forward.

Child of God

I accepted Jesus Christ as my Savior when I was a child. I understood the meaning of sin in a simple way: the things we did that hurt people and hurt God. And I certainly knew I had already committed enough of them to separate me from a Holy God.

My Sunday school teacher explained that God loved us, but our sins separated us from Him and there was nothing we could do to restore that relationship. I was horrified, and it was one of the bleakest moments of my young life. I felt the separation and it was terrifying. Then the teacher delivered the good news, the best news:  

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. (John 3:16) 

Back to Normal

After a string of stressful events, I long for life to return to normal—for me to return to normal. We all have our ways of dealing with stress, coping mechanisms that kick into gear while we try to balance it all until everything calms back down. I can usually roll with the first couple of punches that life throws, but after the third, fourth, fifth, or more, I start looking for a bed to crawl under. If there is no bed to be found, no relief from the onslaught, then I get a little cranky. Maybe not just “a little.”

The Why

 Great is the Lord and mighty in power;

His understanding has no limit.

Psalm 147:5

I loved soda. Loved to drink it, loved the bubbles, the flavor, and the bite. I drank it every day, sometimes for breakfast. My mother hated soda and hated that I drank it. Over the years I did attempt to quit, but my resolve didn’t last long. The headaches would start, then the cravings. And I missed it. I just really liked drinking soda.